Music, Film & Pop Culture
Music — Iceland's Greatest Cultural Export
For a country with only 390,000 inhabitants, Iceland produces a disproportionately large number of world-class musicians. The music scene is closely knit, experimental, and internationally extremely successful:
- Björk: Iceland's most famous artist — avant-garde electronics, operatic singing, legendary costumes (the swan dress at the Oscars 2001!). Grew up in Breiðholt, a suburb of Reykjavík. Her album "Homogenic" (1997) is considered one of the best of the 1990s
- Sigur Rós: Post-rock band from Reykjavík, known for ethereal soundscapes, falsetto singing, and the fantasy language "Vonlenska". Their album "( )" has no song titles and no lyrics in any real language. Perfect music for the Icelandic landscape
- Of Monsters and Men: Indie-folk band, whose hit "Little Talks" made waves worldwide in 2012. They won the Icelandic music competition Músíktilraunir and became internationally famous almost overnight
- Kaleo: Blues-rock from Reykjavík — their song "Way Down We Go" was heard in over 20 TV series
- GusGus: Electronic music with Icelandic flair — a club institution since the 1990s
- Ásgeir: Singer-songwriter, whose debut album "Dýrð í dauðaþögn" (2012) was bought by one in ten Icelanders
The Iceland Airwaves Festival (annually in November in Reykjavík) is the country's most important music festival — international acts and Icelandic newcomers play in clubs, churches, record stores, and even swimming pools throughout the city. Tickets from about 25,000 ISK (167€).
Film & TV
Iceland's dramatic landscapes are a popular filming location for international productions:
- Game of Thrones: North Iceland and the Westfjords served as "beyond the wall". Grjótagjá (Mývatn) was Jon Snow's cave, Kirkjufell on Snæfellsnes was the Arrowhead Mountain, and Þingvellir served as the path to the Eyrie (Bloody Gate)
- Interstellar (2014): The Svínafellsjökull glacier was "Dr. Mann's Planet" — the icy world where Matt Damon was stranded
- Prometheus (2012): The opening scene at the Dettifoss waterfall — the alien Engineer sacrifices himself at Europe's most powerful waterfall
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013): Large parts of the film were shot on Snæfellsnes and in Stykkishólmur. The skateboard scene on the road to Grundarfjörður is iconic
- Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020): Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as an Icelandic Eurovision duo. Húsavík became the filming location, and the song "Húsavík" was actually nominated for an Oscar
- Star Wars: Rogue One (2016): The black sand beaches near Vík served as an alien landscape
- Fast & Furious 8 (2017): The opening scene on the frozen Mývatn lake
Jólabókaflóð — Iceland's Book Tradition
Every autumn, the Bókatíðindi — a catalog of all new releases, is distributed to every Icelandic household. On Christmas Eve, Icelanders traditionally give books as gifts and spend the evening reading with chocolate — this ritual is called Jólabókaflóð (Christmas book flood). Iceland has the highest book publication rate per capita in the world, and it is said that one in ten Icelanders will publish a book at some point in their life.
